Ghana’s rice value chain resilience in the context of COVID-19
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Date
2021
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Social Sciences & Humanities Open
Abstract
The 2020 State of the Food Security and Nutrition World report suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may
render 83 to 132 million people food insecure. The global south has been projected to be adversely affected by
COVID-19 in terms of food and nutritional security. This potentially renders Africa off track in achieving SDG -2
of zero hunger by 2030. Ghana is a net importer of rice and how the sector responded to the global pandemic has
received less traction in the agri-food system literature. There is skewed literature that concentrates on the global
north. The paper employed a qualitative approach involving key informant interviews across 6 regions in Ghana.
The study covered 48 Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) officers, 80
farmers, and 48 market leaders. We use one of the country’s main food staple - rice to show the food (in)-security
situation during the pandemic. We articulate that using the right food security conceptual and theoretical
framing remains imperative in understanding food (in)-security. The findings showed price hikes during the
imposition of lockdown affected access (physical and effective demand). Rice however remained available during
and after the lockdown imposition. Ghana’s rice production output was affected during the COVID-19 pandemic
in 2020. The ramification of COVID-19 on Ghana’s rice sector was not dire but points to the vulnerability of the
rice value chain to future pandemics. Important policy actions are needed to consolidate particular gains made in
Ghana’s planting for food and jobs to minimize rice imports.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Rice, West Africa, Ghana